The Heritage Foundation released a report today about poverty that managed to get some traction in the media. There is nothing terribly new in the report; it is basically a statistically-rich rehashing of the idea that poor people are not really poor. The Heritage Foundation provides a long list of what are mainly cheap, consumer… Continue reading Study misses what poverty is about
The ideological significance of the financial crisis
The financial crisis is nearing its three year anniversary, and the ideologically-tinged battles over identifying its causes are still roaring on. For champions of the free market, much is at stake in explaining what led to the 2008 financial meltdown. On its face, it appears that banks and investors foolishly jumped on the bandwagon of… Continue reading The ideological significance of the financial crisis
The silver lining of the food desert study
A study published earlier this week debunked one of the primary explanations for why obesity disproportionately affects poor people. According to the Los Angeles Times, researchers found that better access to supermarkets did not positively affect the diets of poor people. The findings contradict the argument that food deserts — geographical areas that are devoid… Continue reading The silver lining of the food desert study
Teacher-blaming education reform efforts continue in DC
The Washington D.C. school system fired 206 teachers Friday in the latest installment of the teacher-blaming reform efforts implemented by the now disgraced former chancellor of the school system, Michelle Rhee. According to the Washington Post, the 206 teachers were let go because they scored poorly on the IMPACT evaluation system that now dictates much… Continue reading Teacher-blaming education reform efforts continue in DC
What warnings about job-destroying regulations really mean
One of the favored rhetorical approaches of groups which represent business interests is to remark that businesses create jobs. This is often coupled with the claim that laws which prevent certain business practices — paying unlivable wages, polluting the environment, creating unsafe work conditions — destroy jobs, or make it harder for businesses to create… Continue reading What warnings about job-destroying regulations really mean